My Blog Roll

  I'm in the mood for some shout-outs, since all these bike blog contests have me feeling all warm and fuzzy about bike bloggers. Of the blogs I read, very few see any real financial profit from their efforts. Most bloggers are blogging to blog. It is evident that while we write 'for others,' often we write for ourselves. 

  Posting about that EPIC ride may rouse your readers to discover their own adventure-- but it also, I feel, puts an onus on the blogger. An onus to revisit adventure, discovery, camaraderie-- over and over again. I find that when my blog is quiet, my bicycling life is quiet (or so intense that I haven't got 'round to a computer to talk about it!)-- and I feel that tug in my brain and my heart that says, "hey! You need an adventure to blog about! Go find one!" Not every adventure includes riding across the country, per se-- but certainly adventure can be found in something as simple as discovering full service bicycle parking or putting the bike on the bus for the first time. Or at least that's the way I feel about it.

  So without further ado-- I shout out to a few of my fellow bloggers!

BIKE HACKS

I have to say-- Bike Hacks is just fun. It's about solving bike problems with zip ties, duct tape and things found in the trash. While I wouldn't do 95% of the ideas on there to my bike-- it sure is fun to read about the creativity people exude! 

BIKES AND THE CITY

You've gotta love Meli. She adores espresso (gold star), wears bright, colorful clothes (gold star) and takes bright, colorful photos (gold star) and she rides a 'town' bike AND a roadie (five gold stars from RJ!). And I like her cat.

CYCLING SPOKANE

A family guy, who rides in Eastern Wa (I spent 6 years there) and even being a bike nut-- tries to cut down on how much 'stuff' he has. And I like his cat.

ECOVELO

Pretty much everybody reads EcoVelo, right? It's our source for commuter bike eye candy. And epic photo contests. Not sure if he has a cat, though.

JEROME'S BIKES

Takes rad pictures, rides an Xtracycle, and awarded me a Sigg bottle for submitting the winning 'name' for his Xtracycle! ("Soots!")

TOTCYCLE

A new discovery of mine-- this family rocks a Madsen (if an Xtra and a Bakfiets had a lovechild). Enough said.

These aren't ALL the bike blogs I read, of course-- but they are a few favorites. :)

Bicycle "Bubble Exhaust" Greens the Neighborhood

Yes, you're seeing right. That is "bubble exhaust" trailing behind a bicycle. And it gets better! The soap is vegetable based and holds teeny tiny seeds. When bubbles land on cracks in the pavement, flowers grow!

Seriously.

AND

I've been wanting to make something like this! 

Put on your fancy shoes and GO RIDE A BICYCLE!!

In fits of fashion, I have posted and re-posted about a wonderful blog called Copenhagen Cycle Chic. I always point new cyclists there, just to show them that:

• YES, you can ride a bike in heels
  
• YES, you can ride a bike in a skirt
  
• YES, you can ride a bike in style
  

Don't believe me? Please visit, Exhibit A, Exhibit B and Exhibit C.

These are not models or set-ups. These are snap-shots taken during day-to-day life in Copenhagen. 

But just how many people are riding bicycles in style anyway? Well..

*This is the result of a "back-up" from waiting for a drawbridge.

NOW do you believe me? Okay, moving on.

A more recent CYCLE CHIC blog favorite of mine is Bikes and the City, by Meligrosa. She is not only adorable as heck with a fashion sense to admire-- but she lives in SAN FRANCISCO! 

We've got a chic lady on OUR team! :D

Now, to show off some fantastic Bikes and the City shots:

So GO! Put on your fancy shoes and GO RIDE A BICYCLE!!

Pause 4 Effect at HOTbike

Pause 4 Effect will be at HOTbike.

Don't miss it!

HOTbike: A bicycle fashion show.

More information to come..

Bicycle Stickers

Bike stickers designed by me!

Promote a positive bike message.

Stay tuned for information on how you can get your own!

Put 'em on your Xtracycle deck..

"BIKE WALLA"

Your top tube..

"Spread some bike love!"

Your fender..

"ride HAPPY"

Will also be available in another color.

Copenhagnizing the Winter

I haven't posted any Copenhagen praise for a while. Now that it's the heart of winter, I think it's good time to check in with our friends at Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

This is how you look fetching.


When it's Zero degrees C.

Yep.

Read the blog.

Visit the shop.

If my bicycle were a car..

Admittedly, I know hardly anything about cars-- and if I did, I could make far better matches. Considering, though-- I think I did alright.

Click on picture to enlarge.

And now for some controversy..

Living in the U.S, it is easy to assume that promoting helmet use while riding bicycles is a good thing..

..until you consider that promoting helmets has been shown to reduce the number of cyclists on the road..
..and less cyclists on the road has been shown to decrease cyclists' safety.

Sort of ironic, isn't it?

There's also research out there that helmets don't really help (except in high speed situations such as racing where they are quite helpful). I have to admit that I don't know anything about this research. I'll read it and get back to you.

I personally wear a helmet both while training (riding faster) and commuting (riding slower in traffic). I wear it for a variety of reasons, including a self-awareness that I am a "cycling role model" in Walla Walla and I coach a junior cycling team and.. well, I could even lose my job if I refused to wear a helmet. I also have other reasons why I wear my helmet that I won't list here- but I don't bother anyone about wearing theirs (except my juniors).

For now, though- let's bring up the subject with some satire from the folks over at Copenhagenize.



Read their full post HERE.

Did you know that their bicycle accident rates are a tiny fraction of ours and practically no one wears a helmet over there? (And we're obsessed with them!) Hmm. Seems to me that the solution isn't in the helmets so much (which enter a bicycle accident equation during the accident) as it is in smart street design (preventing the accidents from happening in the first place).

Instead of giving us foam hats as we navigate the battlefield- why not make the battlefield less dangerous to begin with?

My other bike is a bike.

I've got a few stickers on my Xtracycle. "$0.00 9/10" is a favorite. Also, "Same Roads, Same Rights, Same Rules" and "Drive Less, Pedal More." My new sticker that I got while at the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, however, takes the cake as new favorite:



My other bike is a bike.

he he he. 

Now, almost anyone can say "Pedal More, Drive Less," but you've got to be Super Awesome like me to qualify for "My other bike is a bike." It's like the Cool Kids Club- and I'm part of it!

NEW YORK CITY hosts 3 Car-Free events!

On Saturday, NEW YORK CITY closed down PARK AVE, 4th AVE and LAFAYETTE ST to car traffic and hosted activities such as "Children's Latin Percussion Class" and "Cha Cha Class" and "Chalk Drawing"!! And there was live music and bicycles and pedestrians and rollerbladers and joggers and.. just watch the video.

(NEW YORK CITY?! PARK AVE?! NO CARS!!!)

Check out the Summer Streets event page!

New Belgium Brewing - Introducing Team Wonderbike!

New Belgium Brewing is a really awesome company.

OWNERSHIP
All employees of at least 1 year or more own a part of the company (and get a new bike!). Everyone gets a vote- for instance, the vote was unanimous to become the first 100% wind powered brewery in the world.

PHILANTHROPY
To date, New Belgium has donated $2.5million to philanthropic causes and continues to donate $1 for every barrel brewed. They are a member of 1% for the Planet, a group that has donated $30million since it began.

SUSTAINABILITY
What New Belgium believes:

We believe, to be environmental stewards, we need to:


1. Lovingly care for the planet that sustains us.

2. Steward natural resources by closing the loops between waste and input.

3. Minimize the environmental impact of shipping our beer.

4. Reduce our dependence on coal-fired electricity.

5. Protect our precious Rocky Mountain water resources.

6. Focus our efforts on conservation and efficiency.

7. Support innovative technology.

8. Model joyful environmentalism through our commitment to relationships, continuous improvement, and the camaraderie and cheer of beer

You can see HOW they're doing it by clicking HERE. AND you can find out what YOU can do, by clicking HERE.

And NOW, New Belgium presents TEAM WONDERBIKE! An online community promoting riding more & driving less. Check out the blog, forums, media, 'My Commute', 'Why I Ride' and other cool stuff at www.teamwonderbike.com Also, please enjoy their short video (there's DANCING!):

Bicycles: playful by nature

This was on the Momentum blog and was just too good to not share. It's inspiring in a funny way to realize that we've been playful about bikes for a long time. :) It makes you feel good about human nature, at least for a little while.

I particularly like the segment at 3:58- doesn't that look like something you'd conceive of when you were 12?

Rock the Bike!

A great video from Rock the Bike!

..you know I'm still looking for a musician for my bicycle-towed trailer in the parade.. ;)

Some background: Rock the Bike creates and sells cool bicycle products like the Down Low Glow and Audio Systems for your bike. The company was started by Paul Freedman, also known as Fossil Fool, the bike rapper. I own a Down Low Glow myself and LOVE it!

Their advocacy philosophy, which sums up what I strive for, is awesome (bold emphasis is theirs, not mine):

We're bike people. We're inventors and advocates working away in a sweet little workshop in Berkeley, California, pushing the limits of bike culture. Our dream is to help spread the spirit of the bike into the broader culture by organizing, entertaining, inspiring, educating, and inventing new ways to get the message out there. And more importantly, we help our customers spread the message in their communities.

The bike is about so much more than transportation or environmentalism or physical fitness. It's about bringing the element of magic into our communities. You can't ride a bike and not be part of a community. We hope that our inventions and outreach efforts help more people experience this magic.

We're developing a new school of bicycle advocacy, working off of the old writer's adage "Show, don't tell." If you want more people in your community to ride bikes, then get out their and show them how fun, cool, and sexy it is. We make the kind of bikes that make died-in-the-wool car people want to ride bikes. We get pulled over by cops when we're riding. Not because we've done anything wrong. They just want to know where we got our bikes. The 'Sex Appeal School of Bike Advocacy' is not about guilt-tripping and alienating people. It's about shining our light brightly and spreading a positive message in the community.

Well, IN COPENHAGEN they..

Hopefully you're a Copenhagen Cycle Chic & Copenhagenize reader by now. I really try to not be a blog that just reposts everybody else's blog. But if you don't read the Copenhagen blogs already, here's why you should- when in a tiff about the "real practicality" of bicycles or when stealthily dropping hints, it's good to say, "Well, IN COPENHAGEN they {insert recent blog post}." Trust me- you'll surprise people. SO. Exhibit A:

How do you get to the beach in Copenhagen?

By bicycle! (DUH!)




Also, speaking of blogs I read. Over on EcoVelo, Alan is taking photo submissions of your cool commuter and will be giving away a pair of pedals as added incentive to submit. Check out the submission guidelines here. You'll also find pictures of my very own steed of steel.

Bikes and Buses are Beautiful: PARADE

YOU ARE INVITED to be a part of the "Bikes and Buses are Beautiful" group in the Walla Walla Fair Parade, Saturday, August 30, at 9:30am.

Our purpose: Raise the profile of bicycles and buses in the community.

How we'll do it: We're going to have fun on our bikes- all sorts of bikes. Ride your cruiser, your roadie, your fixie, your recumbent, your tricycle, your banana seater, your two-seater, your balloon tires, your skinny tires, bring your trailer, deck it out, rediscover ribbon and wear your finest skirt, your suit, your beach shorts or gorilla suit; and sound!- bring sound! bells and horns and other cheerful chimes. Are you a musician? I'll be turning my 6' trailer into a float and wish to tow a live musician! Bicycles are not limited to speed and spandex- bicycles are much more than that. They are creative individual expressions and practical means of transportation! Load up your panniers and trailers with delectables from the market- bikes - are - beautiful!

AND, for those interested- we will have a "precision" section at the front of our group, cycling in patterns. Please meet the night before on Friday, August 29 at 7pm at Borleske Statium parking lot (Rees & Park St.) to practice. What fun.

For those wishing to tackle a big project in decorating their bike- keep an eye on this blog in the weeks leading up to the parade. We'll get together and have some paper mache fun.

And not only are bikes beautiful, but so are BUSES! We will be escorted by 2 Valley Transit vehicles- a trolley and natural-gas powered bus. They will be filled with energetic passengers (could be you!) and we'll also show how to load and unload bikes on the front of the bus.

Logistics: Parade starts at 10am, please show up at the start (5th & Alder) at 9:30am to organize. We'll establish groups, go over details and do a demo of the bus bicycle rack. Participants must be 18 & older and helmets are encouraged.

Ready for the fun?: Email ww2020 (at) charter (dot) net and jensenrs (at) gmail (dot) com and let us know how you'd like to participate. Questions can also be left as comments on this post.

Bus participants should call or email Gail at 525-9140 or gail (at) valleytransit (dot) com.

For more information, call or email

Rebecca Jensen (RJ) at 509 205 1430, jensenrs (at) gmail (dot) com

Dan Clark at 509 522 0399, clarkdn (at) charter (dot) net

Andy Pryor at 509 525 7163, apryor (at) gohighspeed (dot) com

Sponsored by the Walla Walla 2020 Transportation Committee, Sustainable Walla Walla, and Valley Transit, together with area cycling groups.

www.ww2020.org

www.sustainablewallawalla.org

www.valleytransit.org

anadventurecalledbicycling.blogspot.com

Don't be afraid to think big.. ;)


Special thank you to Willis & Toews for sponsoring costs of this event!

Bikeosphere - Fashion Show on Bicycle

The catwalk got wheels..



Wow, wouldn't it be great to have a hip enough bike culture in Walla Walla that we could put on a bicycle fashion show such as this? I appreciate that Lance Armstrong put the sport of cycling on the American map, but competitive cycling isn't the only way to enjoy a bike. But Lance is making up for it- he opened up a commuter focused bike shop this year in Texas. It's called Mellow Johnny's for the 'American' mispronounciation of maillot jaune (sp??), the "yellow jersey" in French. They even provide showers for bicycle commuters! Thanks, Lance. Check out the shop site here.

Yehuda Moon comics

(Click the image for a larger version.)

Visit www.yehudamoon.com for more.

Bike Thyme Success!

We had a wonderful time tonight.

I showed up a bit late (sorry!) since I had work right up until (and a tad after) 6pm. I think I was forgiven as soon as the boombox, ice chest and water cooler that were strapped to my Xtracycle were appreciated. We rode nice an' easy out to Bennington Lake (Jack Johnson accompanied us)-- ate our snacks & dinners there with friendly conversation. We adventured down the gravel path which lead us to the Mill Creek multi-use trail and coasted back to Daily Market under a red sun. We topped the night off with some strong lemonade (again, my doing- sorry!) made from Daily Market products and said, "see you again next week!"

We hope you'll join us. :)

Bike Thyme

• Bicycle riding at a friendly pace. 
• Cruiser, commuters & vintage bicycles encouraged.
• Bring snacks &/or dinner (I'll carry it in my cooler!)
• Depending on the week, there may be destinations like Bennington Lake, Welcome Table Farm and more!
• Other good things to bring: helmet, water bottle, bike lights in case it gets dusky.

Rides meet: Tuesdays, 6pm (sometimes I'll be late) @ 1st & Main St. downtown

Bike Thyme

 Bike Thyme

Introducing a New Way to Ride!

• Spandex-Free riding at 'picnic pace' (that means slow!)
  
• Will often include stops at local farms & eateries.
• Ride length 45min-2hrs (with breaks!). 
• This is a Daily Market Cooperative interest group, but it is open to the public and you all are encouraged to join! 
• It doesn't matter what bike you ride: commuter, cruiser, vintage Schwinn.. just be sure that it's in good working order and also to wear a helmet. 
  
• You're also invited to bring snacks  or your own picnic dinner! If you don't have room on your bike or want to keep it cool, I will be toting a cooler along to keep your dinner fresh!

If you have any additional questions, please email me at jensenrs (at) gmail (dot) com, thanks!